Racing and Competition

June 8, 2018StaffComments Off on Bentley Celebrates Maiden Podium for New Continental GT3

Bentley’s second-generation Continental GT3 claimed its maiden podium on Saturday night (2 June) with Bentley Team M-Sport, thanks to a faultless performance from drivers Steven Kane (GB), Jules Gounon (FR) and Jordan Pepper (ZA) at the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Paul Ricard 1000km in France. The results came in only the third race for Bentley’s new 2018 Continental GT3, in the first real test of its endurance credentials ahead of next month’s blue riband Spa 24 Hours.

Joe Osborne’s first win as a McLaren Automotive Factory Driver was the headline in what turned into one of the most successful weekends in McLaren’s British GT Championship history, the 570S GT4 scoring both class wins and podiums at Snetterton. In the first race on Sunday morning, Osborne led home a one-two finish for customer Tolman Motorsport and the McLaren 570S GT4. Osborne’s car, which he shares with David Pattison, started the race sixteenth but quickly climbed the order to tenth before the safety car was called into action just a handful of minutes before the pit window opened. With the field bunched up, and the opportunity to pit coming under safety car, almost the entire field came in including Pattison, who handed over to Osborne.

McLaren Automotive is confirmed this past week that former professional racing driver Kenny Brack has joined the British luxury high-performance sportscar and supercar company as Chief Test Driver. Brack, 52, who has 35 years of experience in motorsports including as a racing driver in IndyCar, CART, F3000 and rallying and a test driver in Formula 1 and NASCAR, will be responsible for leading the dynamic development of all McLaren road cars. He will report to Dr. Jens Ludmann, Chief Operating Officer, McLaren Automotive.

The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecar charged ahead as it made its global debut in Berlin this past Saturday. Founder and CEO of Formula E Alejandro Agag had the honor of marking this historical moment alongside Jaguar Racing as he drove the racecar around the iconic Tempelhof Circuit. Alejandro Agag put the eTROPHY racecar through its paces on the track and completed five laps in front of the crowds in Berlin. While demonstrating its dynamic capabilities, the eTROPHY racecar gave a glimpse of the future of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship to a global audience.

From the old to the new – the very new. Our Video of the Week this time features the brand new Brabham BT62 and its unveiling in London on May 2. In addition to unveiling the new car, the background of the new Brabham logo was discussed. To understand the history of Brabham automotive and the late Jack Brabham’s role in racing and autosport, check out the comprehensive timeline on the Brabham Automotive site. First, in regards to the logo, it is Derived from the ‘V’ that so prominently featured on the badges of Brabham’s Repco-powered championship-winning racers from the 1960s, and the fangs from the iconic ‘Hissing Sid’ snake that was synonymous with Brabham’s Ecclestone-era Formula 1 cars, the bold new emblem echoes the marque’s rich heritage with a sharp, strong and engaging device that embodies the Brabham attitude: […]

May 18, 2018StaffComments Off on Valencia Set to Host Next Round of Pure McLaren Series

Valencia will play host to the second round and next two races of McLaren Automotive’s FIA accredited Pure McLaren single-make international race series which lands in Spain this weekend. It follows the first round at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of April and is the second of six rounds of the series that visits some of the most iconic tracks across Europe.

The MINI JCW Team and MINI USA continued to show their dominance in the quest for a series championship in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series during this weekend’s Mid-Ohio 120 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The series last visited the track in 2013, creating a unique opportunity for a level playing field for the two hour endurance race. This was also the first time the MINI JCW Team had ever raced at the 16-turn, 2.4 mile race track 60 miles north of Columbus. The team successfully navigated a number of challenging blind turns and elevation changes to bring home the 1 – 2 finish over the very competitive Porsche and BMW teams. Nate Norenburg continued his excellent qualifying form, putting the #37 MINI JCW on the front row for the third straight event. Norenberg showed that […]

May 8, 2018StaffComments Off on Aston Martin Vantage GTE Successful Debut at Spa

Aston Martin Racing’s new Vantage GTE recorded an encouraging double-points finish on its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season opener, the TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Meanwhile, in GTE Am, the team’s reigning champions Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda made a victorious start to their title defense, leading home an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE one-two as they finished ahead of the customer-owned TF Sport example.

Aston Martin Racing’s Vantage GTE has made its qualifying debut at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s season opener, the TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium. The new racecar – based on the critically acclaimed new Vantage – carried drivers Maxime Martin (B), Alex Lynn (GB) and Jonny Adam to P8 in the #97 entry, while the sister #95 car of Nicki Thiim (DN), Marco Sorensen (DN) and Darren Turner (GB) will start from P10 in the GTE Pro class.

Legendary Jaguar sports car racers Andy Wallace and Davy Jones joined the Special Vehicle Operations development team at Goodwood Motor Circuit last month, declaring the new Jaguar XE SV Project 8 “absolutely staggering” and “a winner” after testing it on the fast and demanding UK track. British driver Andy Wallace won the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race in 1988 driving the Jaguar XJR-9 and was part of Jaguar’s victorious 1988 and 1991 World Sports Car Championship teams. The Goodwood test was the first time he’d driven the all-wheel-drive track-focused Project 8, which features a 600PS supercharged 5.0-litre V8 powertrain.

Aston Martin is to introduce a new generation of competitive Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and GT4 race cars to customer teams in 2019 that will be based on the critically-acclaimed next generation Vantage road car and the GTE version, set to make its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend. The two new cars, designed and built at Aston Martin Racing’s headquarters in Banbury, will replace the ultra-successful Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4, currently raced by customer teams around the world. The outgoing examples represent AMR’s most successful racing cars, and they continue to set the standards by winning races and leading championships in GT series around the world 12 years after the first customer car was purchased.

May 2, 2018StaffComments Off on Aston Martin to Start Racing Season this Weekend

The new Aston Martin Vantage GTE will make its long-awaited racing debut in the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Super Season at the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps this weekend (3-5 May). The Aston Martin Vantage GTE is based on the critically-acclaimed Aston Martin Vantage road car, the most performance-oriented sports car to come from Aston Martin’s ‘Second Century Plan’. Powered by a 4.0-litre, V8 turbo-charged AMG engine developed and optimized by AMR, the Vantage GTE is the first all-new GT car Aston Martin has introduced to the FIA WEC GTE category in seven years.

Bentley’s new, second-generation Continental GT3 will make its competitive debut at Monza in Italy this weekend (April 20-22) when Bentley Team M-Sport begins the defense of its Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Teams’ title. Following an extensive testing schedule, the outfit’s two new-for-2018 Continental GT3s will line up at the historic grand prix circuit in northern Milan for the first of this season’s five European rounds. Guy Smith (GB), Steven Kane (GB) and Jules Gounon (FR), who made their first appearance together as a trio at Bathurst in February, are paired in the #7 entry while the #8 crew comprising Andy Soucek (ES), Maxime Soulet (BE) and Vincent Abril (MC) embarks on a second season eager to go one better than the runners-up position achieved in 2017’s Endurance Cup Drivers’ standings.

One of the most iconic and beautiful cars of all time, the Jaguar E-Type is a hugely desirable model for classic vehicle enthusiasts and lovers of the British automotive industry. However, with the first cars being created over half a century ago in 1961, some aren’t the perfect proposition for modern, everyday driving; this is where E-Type UK comes in. E-Type UK is one of the world’s leading authorities for all things Jaguar E-Type – from restoring and servicing all the way through to selling – and it offers the finest upgrades to bring the legendary Jaguar into the 21st century.

Panasonic Jaguar Racing was once again at the heart of the action in Rome in the latest round of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship as the team’s record of scoring points in each round of the 2017/18 season continued. In a season of firsts, Mitch delivered the team’s highest ever starting position of third place with team-mate Nelson starting 13th on the grid. Both Nelson and Mitch made solid starts and managed the energy of their Jaguar’s efficiently. As the halfway point of the race approached, Nelson pitted first for the team, but encountered difficulties with his seatbelts as he pulled away from the garage, he retired shortly after.

Aston Martin will return to the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour race, staged on the world famous Nürburgring Nordschleife (May 10-13), with a two-car entry featuring all six of its 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship factory GTE Pro drivers. The British manufacturer will enter a V12 Vantage GT3 in the SP9 category for Maxime Martin (B), Marco Sõrensen (DK) and 2017 SP8 class winners Darren Turner (GB) and Nicki Thiim (DN). In addition, the factory will defend its SP8 victory with a GT4-specification Aston Martin V8 Vantage driven by an all-British team of Alex Lynn, Jonny Adam, Peter Cate and Jamie Chadwick – the first woman to race a factory Aston Martin in a 24-hour race.

Panasonic Jaguar Racing has unveiled the concept livery for the Jaguar I-TYPE 3, their Gen 2 race car for season five of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. As the British team continues their mission ‘Race to Innovate’, this marks another historic moment in Jaguar Land Rover’s electrification strategy. The Gen 2 race car is a bold, futuristic and dynamic design and a big step forward in speed and performance. Maximum power increases to 250kW (the equivalent of 335bhp) available during qualifying and 200kW available during the race. An improved battery has allowed teams to move to one race car per driver and drop the mandatory car-swap demonstrating the rapid technological development in battery electric vehicles. The Jaguar I-TYPE 3 will also feature an LED Halo after the FIA implemented new safety regulations earlier this year.

Twenty-one-year-old McLaren Automotive Factory Driver Ben Barnicoat got off to a perfect start in the opening British GT Championship weekend at Oulton Park, winning the first race of the season in the 570S GT4 of customer team track-club, in turn scoring the track-only Sports Series model its first victory of 2018 in global competition. Barnicoat drove perfectly in the treacherous conditions on Bank Holiday Monday morning, as heavy rain prior to the race made it a particularly intense affair for the drivers, negotiating the tight, twisty Cheshire circuit.

Caterham is crossing the pond to one of the USA’s most famous circuits, Laguna Seca, for the inaugural Caterham Challenge Cup (CCC), 1st – 2nd December 2018. New to Caterham this year, the one-off race weekend is being billed as the ultimate climax to the Caterham Motorsport racing calendar. The celebrated British car brand is blazing a trail with this announcement, proudly becoming the first manufacturer to offer drivers from a club championship in the UK the chance to compete in an exclusive event on American soil. As such, Caterham will have drivers’ cars packed and transported over to America for the racing extravaganza as entrants go wheel-to-wheel against friends and foes from the Caterham racing fraternity.

Jim Clark was a genuine sporting hero. Driving for Lotus throughout his professional career, he was twice a World Champion, in 1963 and 1965, and won 25 of his 72 Grands Prix. In his upcoming book Jim Clark: The Best of the Best, David Tremayne details the life and career of this iconic British driver. Clark was the yardstick by which every other driver on the starting grid was judged, and by which they judged themselves. Quite simply, he was peerless. Stubborn and notoriously indecisive outside the car, he would nervously chew his fingernails, but he was a genius when he got behind the wheel. To many, he remains the greatest racing driver of all time, not just because of his fearsome strike rate and the magnitude and manner of his achievements, but also because he remained humble and unspoiled throughout. […]